...let your light shine before others, that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.

Monday, 30 November 2015

Take Me Deeper - November Week 4

Life has been somewhat hectic these past couple of weeks! We have a close family friend, 89 years old, who desperately needed help but didn't realise she needed help. It wasn't easy and Social Services and her one relative who lives miles away wouldn't do a thing to help sadly. So mum and I have stepped into the breach. It means extra 'work' for us, but the alternative, of leaving her to starve in her own home was just unacceptable. Then I had to sort out her medication...and thanks to a mistake by the GP, and compounded by her carers not even noticing that one of her medicines had run out three weeks ago, she has gone without it since early November. It is truly shocking how a person can slip through the cracks like this.

That said, we did see in the week even more kindness from the carer I mentioned last week, who was paying for food out of her own pocket for this lady. She managed what her bosses and the lady's relative could not - to get her to understand that there was nobody doing food shopping for her, and so she had so little food in the house it was not possible to make a balanced meal. Also that it's around 4pm, when she is getting hungry again, and has been alone for so long, that she needs a bit of food and company so she doesn't have to make the dozens of phone calls to my parents or the lady across the road whose husband has just died. Finally the lady has agreed to pay for a carer to come at that time, who will do a bit of shopping, washing or cleaning (also not being done before) if it is needed. Thank goodness!

So with that tiny ray of light ahead, the realisation hits that it's Advent! I'm a bit late uploading this so Advent is actually here now! His Kingdom Come is offering daily devotionals as part of Take Me Deeper for Advent, so there will be more posts coming very shortly! Praying I can keep up!For now though, here is my piece for this last week of November.

November Week 4 - Promises

Having read the Devotional, I didn't have time to create anything for a few days. When I came back to it, the words "God promises us that he will never leave nor forsake us" just jumped out at me!

I did a google search for God's promises and of everything, I kept coming back to Hebrews 13:5 - Never will I leave you. Never will I forsake you.

So I wanted to run with that. As I started to search for textures and brushes that I could use, I didn't have the intention of creating an abstract. But then I saw one texture image - bleached paper - and the shapes within it made my heart beat faster - seriously! I just looked to me so much like figures with their arms raised that I had to use it!

I added some brushwork to give a bit of dimension whilst keeping the abstract feel, plus some stars and branches and introduced a little colour (as the original had been black and white)...and this is what I ended up with!

I sat and looked at it for a while but it just kept feeling finished, so it is!
I have absolutely no idea where this came from; I just started to create from a position of being completely open to whatever should come. I wanted to capture the promise of Hebrews 13:5 but also show the thanksgiving of mankind. Hopefully this will come across!

I'm never sure whether I like this kind of piece when I make them, nor whether I should actually use them, but this just feels right!
TFL!
Bernie x